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This invention, entitled xe2x80x9cAuxiliary Tailgatexe2x80x9d, was devised and invented by Mark Willard Vejnar, and relates to a new and useful type of tailgate that may be used to effectively extend the payload area or truck bed for a pickup truck, mini-truck, or the like.
This xe2x80x9cAuxiliary Tailgatexe2x80x9d invention will be referred to throughout this specification and its appended claims, as a proper noun with the first letter of each word capitalized. The back panel (4) component of the Auxiliary Tailgate is the primary component, and the terms are therefore nearly synonymous. The xe2x80x9cRetractable Stopxe2x80x9d invention will also be referred to as a proper noun throughout this specification and its appended claims, and may be used in conjunction with the Auxiliary Tailgate, or without an Auxiliary Tailgate. The Retractable Stop is similar to a back panel (4) or an Auxiliary Tailgate, but is generally much shorter in height and is comprised of a simpler design with fewer components.
The term xe2x80x9ctruckxe2x80x9d as used throughout this specification and its appended claims is intended to also refer to a pickup truck, mini-truck, or a small or medium-sized truck with either an open payload or a covered payload bed. The term xe2x80x9ctruckxe2x80x9d is also intended to be broadly construed to include sport utility vehicles, multipurpose vehicles, minivans, station wagons, and trailers, where the tailgate may be opened to a position that is generally parallel to the ground, as shown in the Drawing Figures.
The field of this invention relates to a new and useful tailgate design for trucks and the like, and most particularly for pickup trucks. The Auxiliary Tailgate and the Retractable Stop disclosed herein, may be effectively used as a tailgate in a variety of trucks and closely related vehicles that may be used for hauling objects or loads that may shift or move during transport in a truck bed (1) or the like.
Heretofore, the safe transport of an object was limited to the size of the payload area or truck bed (1) or the like, and many mini-truck designs, particularly in recent years, have a short truck bed (1) or payload area. It is not uncommon for an object or load, such as a standard piece of four foot by eight foot plywood, drywall, lumber material, ladders, refrigerators, sofas, and other large objects, to be a matter of inches to several feet too long to fit safely into a truck bed (1). One solution to this problem may be to drop the primary tailgate (3) down and allow the long object to extend out of the truck bed (1) for a short distance. This means of transporting a large object, however, many cause safety problems and may be a violation of the law in some jurisdictions. It is not uncommon for large objects and loads to fall out of a truck bed (1), particularly when the tailgate is in the down position, and for these large objects and loads to fall onto a freeway or highway, thereby damaging the objects and causing hazard to the truck driver and to other drivers.
The inventor, Mark Willard Vejnar, has devised and invented a new and useful type of Auxiliary Tailgate and a Related Retractable Stop, for a truck or the like, that may easily be used to effectively extend the length of the truck bed (1), and additionally would effectively secure a payload within the truck bed (1). The means for securing a payload within the truck bed (1) with an Auxiliary Tailgate being opened to the vertical up position, as shown in FIG. 1, or alternatively, with the Retractable Stop in the up position, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 12.
In trying to solve the above-described truck and automobile industry problems and disadvantages, and within the scope of this invention, the inventor, Mark Willard Vejnar, conceived, devised, invented, and engineered the new and useful means of effectively extending the effective truck bed (1) of at truck or the like, through the use of an Auxiliary Tailgate and a Retractable Stop. During the inventorship process in developing the Retractable Stop and the Auxiliary Tailgate, the inventor, Mark Willard Vejner, did also conceive, devise, invent, and engineer a set of hinges that may be used with the present Retractable Stop and Auxiliary Tailgate inventions, and which are intended to rest, set, hold, lock, or fix the hinge at a desired angle, such as a 90-degree angle, through the use of a hinge rib (50)/hinge rib restraint (51) means, as shown in FIGS. 38 and 39, or through the use of an additional hinge dimple (65)/hinge dimple port (68) means, as shown in FIGS. 57 and 58.
The objectives and advantages of the present Auxiliary Tailgate and Retractable Stop invention include their hideaway feature which allows the user to optionally use the Auxiliary Tailgate and Retractable Stop by pulling the Auxiliary Tailgate or the Retractable Stop, or both, out of their hideaway position. The Auxiliary Tailgate may be tucked away into the front section of the primary tailgate (3) of a truck or the like, until the user elects to use the Auxiliary Tailgate. The Retractable Stop may be tucked away into the top portion of the front section of the primary tailgate (3) or back panel (4), until the user elects to use the Retractable Stop. For some applications, the user may elect to utilize the Auxiliary Tailgate by placing it in the horizontal open position, and also utilize and open a Retractable Stop located at the terminal end of said horizontal open Auxiliary Tailgate, as shown in FIG. 3.
Another objective and advantage of the Auxiliary Tailgate and the Retractable Stop invention is that they may be composed of a polymeric or composite material, rather than the metal or alloy generally comprising the primary tailgate. The use of a polymeric or composite composition for the Auxiliary Tailgate and the Retractable Stop reduces the cost of materials and allows one to mold the parts, thereby further reducing the costs. Other advantages of utilizing polymeric or composite materials, rather than a metal or alloy, includes a lighter weight and lower hardness. The lower hardness may afford the user greater protection for the painted surface of the truck, when the Auxiliary Tailgate or the Retractable Stop is resting on the painted surface of the truck.
The Auxiliary Tailgate and the Retractable Stop invention is a valuable means of effectively and safely extending the payload area or truck bed (1) for some mini-trucks or short-bed trucks that would otherwise have limited utility in transporting furniture, such as sofas, refrigerators and bookshelves, and transporting construction materials, such as plywood, drywall, and lumber, from site-to-site, or from lumber yard to construction site.